Vodka Doesn't Lie
by LadyVae
Summary: A short original story. Haneen had an encounter with the Devil when she was younger. It was a chance meeting, so fleeting as to be nothing more then a moment caught between heartbeats and the taste of vodka on her lips. It's years later, and when a mysterious stranger shows up at the bar Haneen works at old memories, and more, are rekindled. Because after all vodka doesn't lie.
1. Chapter 1

Vodka Doesn't Lie

Lady Vae

The lights in the bar were finally dimmed. The neon sign changed from the solid friendly orange of OPEN to the ominously flickering red of Closed.

"It should say enter at your own risk," she muttered as she fluidly began wiping down the bar. Using the back of her forearm to shove her straggling bangs from her face, she didn't notice the figure still sitting in the corner booth. He could have been there all night watching her, or could somehow have snuck in from the back room in the brief moment she had taken the trash to the dumpster behind _Lucky's Last Shot_ , either way she remained unaware of his presence.

Engrossed in her work, she didn't notice his eyes watching her weary form going through the task of closing up and restocking for the next evening; she certainly didn't notice anything unusual _until_ she found the missing bottle of high end vodka. Her posture immediately changed from relieved and exhausted to spitting hell cat in less than a heartbeat.

He hid his smile behind his pilfered shot glass as he watched from the relative safety of his shadowed booth. She hadn't changed at all. Older of course, definitely more of a full figured woman then the young girl he'd first encountered, but her temper was still of volcanic proportions and her movements were still graceful with the contained fury of a hurricane. "Thrice damned blasted cod-suckers!" she snarled as she began shoving bottles back and forth looking to see if it had merely been misplaced in the mad rush of closing earlier.

It was all he could do to keep his laughter from spilling out as she fumed, digging through cabinets and slamming doors. "When I find who ever filched that bottle they are going to be introduced to the wrong side of daylight!" she finally declared, standing from her crouch and spinning on her heel to head to the back storage room.

Deciding to spare the poor souls doing stock up in the back he cleared his throat, "I should apologize, had I known it would have put you in such a state I would have refrained." He smiled as she spun around, a hand to her chest the other going behind her back and grasping the first bottle that came to hand.

"Ah you're holding a rather expensive gin, there, love. I'd hate to see it go to waste because you tried to break it over my head." He kept his tone casual and polite watching as her eyes narrowed and he felt something leap inside him at the flash of fire in her eyes. Even after all this time she could still affect him.

"Who are you," she asked voice low and dangerous. His smiled widened, "Don't play coy, you know who I am. We've met before…" he trailed off, waiting. She sneered, her cherry red lips contorting sarcastically, "What? Once upon a dream?" her voice was a breathy mocking falsetto reminiscent of Mary Costa's dreamy Princess Aurora.

He quirked an eyebrow and moved towards the bar with nearly feline grace, "Perhaps," he purred placing the vodka and shot glass on the top of the bar between them. He flicked his fingers and like a stage magician another shot glass appeared between his fingers, "Join me?"

He saw the flicker of hesitation, "You're off the clock and it will be a while before Hugo and Ron are finished with unloading the new shipments. We have a little time, and it's only a few drinks."

Her eyes narrowed again, "Why should I?"

He smiled and it could only be described as devilish, "Because vodka doesn't lie."


	2. Chapter 2

_Vodka doesn't lie_ he'd said. Well if vodka didn't lie it certainly didn't improve her decision making skills. Haneen couldn't be certain, but she was sure that it had been more than a few drinks by now.

The bar was empty; she didn't remember Ron and Hugo finishing up in the back. She didn't remember them leaving and locking the door, they would have said something to her, especially with her drinking partner present. They wouldn't have left her alone to get smashed with some strange man without giving him a through shake down. Or maybe they would, Hugo and Ron weren't really her friends, maybe they were relieved she'd finally found somebody to drink with. Speaking of which, she looked at her drinking partner across from her, her vision was hazy but she could still make him out well enough. Dark messy blond hair, skin that bordered on pale but with a kiss of sun to keep it from being too corpse like though he wasn't tan by any means; those eyes that glittered with danger and every single thing she knew she wanted and shouldn't. And that mouth! Dear sweet Lord, those lips; the flash of perfectly straight, just white enough teeth…

'Sharp canines,' she noted dreamily. She imagined what it would feel like to have those teeth scrape her skin, and she wondered absently if he had put anything in the vodka bottle as she idly traced the tip of one blood red manicured nail around the rim of her empty shot glass.

Repeating the movement, her glazed green eyes focused on the circle her index finger made as it traced the smooth edge, how the glass flowed or skipped against her skin if she hit a patch of moisture or smudges of lipstick. All the while his words echoed in her head, eddying around in swirls like the stale cigarette smoke that lingered in the bar, _vodka doesn't lie._ It gnawed at her like a half forgotten dream or a vague memory she couldn't quite place. She narrowed her eyes; letting her mind semi-relax, she knew if she wanted to remember anything that forcing the memory would just make it more elusive. She again let her thoughts wander, she wasn't quite sure there was anything to remember.

"Has anyone told you how incredibly sexy you look when you're all intense and focused like that?" Her finger paused and she flicked her eyes up to look at him. "Am I now?" Her voice was husky, burned rough from the vodka and the silence. She felt her cheeks warm at the compliment and glanced back to her glass; her finger paused on the rim. He chuckled, "I'd like to see that look directed at me instead of at a shot glass." His words were whispered honey and she smiled, "Jealous?" His voice purred against her ear, "Maybe…" He let the word trail off and Haneen knew she was lost. She turned, they were eye to eye, but she wasn't surprised at the close proximity though. She felt her smile change into something wicked, "Maybe…" she purred back letting the word trail off as he had before twisting her body all the way around to face him head on, "Perhaps I can help with that."

If he was going to say anything she never heard his response as her lips crashed against his.


End file.
